Introduction
Heavy metals are found in very small quantities throughout our food chain, typically from plants that absorb them from the soil. However, one facet of the modern world is the increased amount of heavy metals that are in our environment and food chain. These toxins are typically a result of industrial processes/ waste, which pollute our land, seas, and oceans. One group of these toxins is heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead, all of which bioaccumulate in the food chain, and have serious implications for our health in large quantities.
Mercury, known for its neurotoxic effects, can subtly undermine cognitive function, particularly in pregnant women and young children. Arsenic, found in our food and water, presents a complex web of health risks, including cancer, and cardiovascular issues. Cadmium, typically found in contaminated soil and some foods, is linked to kidney damage and skeletal problems. Lead, pervasive in our environment, especially in older homes and water pipes, poses severe developmental and neurological risks in children.
Due to their toxic properties, particularly to the nervous system, minimising heavy metals in all foods is important, especially in marine oils, which include cod liver oils.
Regulation of Heavy Metals in Cod Liver Oil
The EU has set limits on the heavy metal concentrations in many foods, including fish oil. These limits are:
- 0.5 mg/kg of mercury
- 2 mg/kg of cadmium
- 10 mg/kg of lead (ref.)
There is currently no limit on the amount of arsenic set.
Although there is no limit on the amount of arsenic in fish oil, there are 2 distinct forms of arsenic that can be found in the foods we eat.
Inorganic Arsenic: Inorganic arsenic compounds are typically more toxic than their organic counterparts. Inorganic arsenic can take various chemical forms, such as arsenite and arsenate. Inorganic arsenic is commonly found in the environment, including in soil and groundwater. It can contaminate water sources and enter the food chain, primarily through plants that absorb it from the soil. Inorganic arsenic is known to be carcinogenic and can have acute and chronic health effects, including skin lesions, cardiovascular issues, and various cancers.
Organic Arsenic: Organic arsenic compounds contain arsenic atoms bonded to carbon and other organic molecules. Unlike inorganic arsenic, organic arsenic compounds are generally considered less toxic and less harmful to humans. They are often found in marine organisms like fish and shellfish, where they may naturally occur or result from the metabolism of inorganic arsenic by these organisms. Organic arsenic compounds, such as arsenobetaine and arsenosugars, are typically less readily absorbed by the human body and excreted more rapidly, reducing their potential toxicity.
Heavy Metal Contamination in Armorica Fermented Cod Liver Oil
With the health risks that heavy metals pose to people clearly understood, we test all our batches for heavy metal contamination as part of our post-production testing. This testing is done on the final product before they are available to retail. Below you can see a table showing the heavy metal test results for our oil.
From the test results in our most recent batch, you can see that all the heavy metals are all but undetectable. The only detectable heavy metal was lead, at 0.007 mg/kg. Although detectable, the amount of lead found in Armorcia oil is considered insignificant and represents 0.0007% of the maximum permitted amount of lead in fish oil.
You will note that the arsenic testing doesn’t differentiate between organic and inorganic. This test is for total arsenic and shows that no arsenic is detectable in any form, which means testing for the different forms is irrelevant. Had arsenic been found, we could have done more granular testing to identify the specific form.
Heavy Metal Content Comparision
We can put these results into perspective, and compare them to data from 100s of tested samples of cod liver oil. See below a table of the average cod liver oil content of heavy metals from samples tested from 2005-2010.
From the table above you can see that Armorica is typically lower than the average cod liver oil for heavy metals.
The table also includes the Global Organisation for EPA and DHA (GOED) specifications (last column) which are significantly stricter than the EU regulations on heavy metals. Although lead is detectable in this sample of Armorica cod liver oil, it is still significantly lower than the GOED specification of <0.1 mg/kg.
Lead in the Food Chain
As lead has been detected at a low level in this particular sample, let’s see how this compares to common foods. As previously covered, these heavy metals are found throughout our food chain, both in naturally low concentrations and in unnaturally high concentrations as a result of industrial processes. They typically enter the food chain through fruits and vegetables that we, or the animals we eat, consume. Research done in 2015 by the Queens University in Belfast tested several fruits and vegetables for heavy metal content. A table of the results is below.
These results are reported in ng/g, whereas the Armorica test samples are in mg/kg. To make the data easier to compare, the lead result from Armorica Fermented Cod Liver Oil of 0.007 mg/kg is the same as 7 ng/g.
From the table, Armorica Fermented Cod Liver Oil contains significantly lead less than many fruits and vegetables and has a comparable amount of lead to the lowest results of fruits and vegetables.
How Toxic is this for Humans
According to the FDA, women of childbearing age should consume no more than 8.8mg of lead, to protect the developing fetus. To reach this level, you would need to consume 1.25 million capsules, or drink almost 700 bottles of Armorica Fermented Cod Liver Oil in one day. This would equate to almost 40,000 apples. These are levels that are a significant challenge to achieve in a lifetime, let alone a single day.
Summary
The heavy metal concentration of Armorica Fermented Cod Liver Oil is lower than most other cod liver oil products commercially available. The highest detectable heavy metal is lead. The amount of lead detected in the oil was very low, and comparable to many fruits and vegetables. Lead, like many heavy metals, is present in virtually all foods in small quantities.
The amount of lead in Armorica Fermented Cod Liver oil is so low it poses no risk to health and is typical of natural foods.